Filling up with hydrogen will soon be possible Germany-wide

H2 MOBILITY Deutschland becomes operative as a joint venture between six industrial partners

Go-ahead for staged expansion of H2 filling stations in Germany

Germany on the way to having the world’s first inter-regional H2 supply network

Federal Minister of Transport Dobrindt gives prospect of further support

Berlin/Munich, 13 October 2015 - Six industrial companies - Air Liquide, Daimler, Linde, OMV, Shell and TOTAL - have formed a cross-sector joint venture, H2 MOBILITY Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG. The creation of the limited partnership paves the way for a staged expansion of hydrogen (H2) filling stations across Germany, which will bring the total to around 400. The Berlin-based company has started operations and is working intensively in preparation for stage one of the joint action plan. This envisages the accelerated set-up of 100 filling stations over the next few years. Senior representatives of the H2 MOBILITY venture partners met today at launch talks held with Federal Minister of Transport Alexander Dobrindt and discussed the next steps. The industry and government partners have reinforced their commitment by signing a memorandum of understanding on hydrogen filling stations for Germany.

Federal Minister Dobrindt: “E-mobility must be emotional and shall arouse passion for the drive of the future. Electric vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells offer the best conditions: You have a long range and can refuel in some minutes. For the market ramp-up of this technology, we now need a comprehensive network of fuelling stations for hydrogen. Therefore, I welcome the plans of H2 MOBILITY to build up 400 hydrogen fuelling stations in Germany by 2023."

The H2 MOBILITY action plan envisages a Germany-wide network of H2 stations by 2023, which would make Germany the first country to offer an inter-regional network where fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) can fill up with hydrogen. Therefore investments of around EUR 400 million in total are planned.

As the industrial key player in the expansion of a H2 infrastructure in Germany, H2 MOBILITY with Managing Director Frank Sreball is responsible for building and operating a Germany-wide H2 filling station network. The joint venture also forms an integral part of the research project for the further development of hydrogen-powered mobility. H2 MOBILITY is an international leader and has the potential to lend impetus to other countries as they expand their hydrogen infrastructure. For example, the company is a member of the recently formed “Hydrogen Mobility Europe” network.

The joint venture partners have many years of experience in the fields of electric mobility powered by fuel cells, refuelling technology and infrastructure build-up. The industrial partners have recently made significant progress on standardisation issues as well.

The first automotive manufacturers already have FCVs in production for the German market. Others are to follow.

The declared aim of the Federal Government is to make Germany the leading market for sustainable mobility solutions and efficient technology. Electric mobility with fuel cell-powered vehicles will help to cut CO2 emissions significantly – especially when using hydrogen from renewable energy sources, as FCEVs drive locally emission free. NOW GmbH, the National Organisation for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology, is monitoring the achievement of this goal closely. NOW is responsible for the coordination and control of programmes under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure to promote battery and fuel cell-powered mobility.

Numerous associated partners support the activities of H2 MOBILITY. Via the H2 MOBILITY advisory board, car manufacturers BMW, Volkswagen, Honda and Toyota, as well as the technology company Intelligent Energy are involved in the joint venture.

H2 MOBILITY is also in close partnership with the Clean Energy Partnership* (CEP), the largest hydrogen mobility project in Europe.

In the 2014 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of EUR 17.047 bn, making it the largest gases and engineering company in the world with approximately 65,500 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term, profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.